|
 St. Louis Grabs First
Ryan Express Rolls into Town
ST. LOUIS (June 1) -- The St. Louis Maroons won 11 of their last 14 to edge
ahead of Los Angeles. Already the league's hottest hitting team, the Dark
Reds got some solid pitching the last two weeks, including shutouts by Lew
Burdette, Nolan Ryan, and Bob Shaw/Chet Nichols within eight days. Ryan
took home Pitcher of the Month honor in just his second month in the majors,
going 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 7 starts. Burdette was 5-2
in 7 May starts, including wins in his last four outings, and Joe Niekro has a
1.56 ERA in his last 7 games.
At the plate, Reggie Smith leap-frogged to fourth in VORP, hitting
.375-4-8 with a 1.269 OPS in his last 10 games, and Jim Fregosi won Batter of
the Month, hitting .337 with a .397 OBP and a league-leading 29 RBI.
Feds Back into Second
Place
BOSTON (June 1)
-- The Boston Federals backed into second place after both New York teams
suffered month-ending sweeps. Brooklyn lost three times at home to
division-leading Cleveland, while Manhattan was swept at home by St. Louis.
Boston lost their first two games in Los Angeles before winning the finale 5-3
to claim second place. Cleveland was only 9-7 in the fortnight, but
maintains a 5.5 game lead.
Your Ballpark Bites!
by Charlie Qualls
Sure, seasoned ticket holders know all the hot spots, the nooks and crannies
that serve their favorite ballpark eats. But here's a handy guide for the rest
of us.
Seals Stadium - San Francisco
Directly behind the giant catcher's mitt in the off-center field loge rests
"Bending Gent's" serving hot beefcake. "Oh Leonard, we're having Sushi Dogs and
Chardonnay, just because! Hey, what are those guys doing on the grass?"
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium - Atlanta
It's not likely that Rufus, the 420lb vendor will make it to your section,
but if he does, you gotta try his Peanut Butter and Jawbreaker Sandwich.
Lovingly crammed into a used baggie and served on local favorite Aunt Mom's
"In" Bread. Wash it down with the Hilltoppers exclusive ballpark brew, "Burntneck
Ale," served warm and flat for easier swallowin'.
Kiner Field - Detroit
Nestled between Rawk Dawgs and Motor City Munchies sits Sleepy Holloway's
Breakfast Boutique. Aside from owning and operating a professional baseball
club, Sean Holloway always dreamed of serving tasty waffles and french toast to
drunken idiots. On Sunday home games, the man himself will even show up (ask
and he'll toss your fruit salad right in front of you). But be wary if he uses
the Gibson Grill, it doesn't work very well, but Mr. Holloway refuses to put it
on the shelf.
Arroyo Seco Stadium - Los Angeles
You want the smallest portions for the highest prices? Look no further than
Baton Fuego, French/Mex fusion at it's most confusing. After you've had your
fill at the oxygen bar (no smoking, please), look no further than up. Ten Grand
gets you a key to the elevator that takes you high above the Luxury Suites to
Chien Chaud - a restaurant so exclusive, it only opens after the seventh inning
so most L.A. fans will never know it exists.
Comiskey Park - Chicago
When's the last time a spicy wiener left you breathless? The left side of
your body won't know what hit it, but the right side will call it a stroke of
luck! Adjacent to Defibrillator station 14a in the All You Can Keep Down
Concourse, is Uncle Lancie's Unibrau. ULU's proudly serves Bratbest Brand
Bratwurst. "Bratbest: It's the Wurst"
Sportsman's Park - St. Louis
Twelve steps from Hair O' The Dog Pet Boutique in the Dysfunctional Family
Pavilion, squats "Han Gover's Biergarten Of Eden." For the rest of the season,
it's a Libation Liquidation as an unprecedented hops surplus spells cheap-ass
beer for you! Driving? No problem, just pack your car full of designated
drinkers.
Cleveland Municipal Stadium - Cleveland
Boringly equidistant between the Tan and Beige sections is Chuck Bucket's.
You'll believe their motto: "Chuck Bucket's: The ONLY Food in the Ballpark,"
when you see the long lines. Raise your unsalted butter on white bread sandwich
with mock pride as you sip your warmed tap water. On those extra chilly nights,
we'll put two drops of brown food coloring in hot water and tell you it's
coffee. Please bring your own cream and sugar. |
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W E S T
D I V I S I O N |
E A S T
D I V I S I O N |
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The Maroons are a
remarkable 17-3 on the road and only 20-16 at home.
Lew Burdette
is 9-3 with
a 3.20 ERA, thanks in part to a league-best 6.25 run support.
|
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Fritz Peterson
(10-3, 2.63) leads the league in wins and complete games (7),
and is fifth in ERA.
Frank Baumann
has a 0.46 ERA in
his last 12 games.
|
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Pat Jarvis
is 4-0, 2.18
in his last four starts, including a 1-0 four-hit shutout of
Brooklyn May 21.
Leo Kiely
leads the
league with 10 saves, despite a 5.84 ERA.
|
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Wilbur Wood
is out for
the year with a torn bicep. "Wilbah" was 2-0, 6.75 in 14
relief appearances after an 8-8, 4.30 rookie campaign last
year.
Russ Kemmerer's
ERA ballooned from 1.42 in April to 10.39 in May.
|
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The Toppers lost
five straight to Cleveland and San Francisco May 26-30, before
finally defeating S.F. 7-4.
Harmon Killebrew
homered
twice in the win, collecting HR #300. Luis Aparicio is
hitting .059 (2-34), .176 OPS in his last 26 games.
|
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Lou Brock
collected
five hits in a 9-7 loss against St. Louis on May 24, and won
Player of the Week three days later.
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Cleveland won 7
straight with sweeps over Atlanta and Brooklyn, but lost SP
Earl
Francis
(4-7, 4.21) and
CF Curt
Flood
(.272-0-20) to injury three days apart. Francis will miss
four weeks and Flood will miss seven.
|
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Rocky Colavito
hit his landmark 300th home run against his former club, San
Francisco, launching a 3-run blast in the first inning off
Ron Kline.
Gene
Brabender
was hit by a pitch
May 28 and will miss 1-2 weeks with a fracutred nose.
Ray
Narleski
has a 1.20 ERA and
7 saves in his last 12 games.
|
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Gene Conley
is 3-0, 1.16
in his last 4 starts.
Johnny Kucks,
a 20-game winner the last two seasons, has just one win in 14
starts. |
 |
Joe Torre
hit four home runs in his last 6 games, hitting .519 (14-27)
with a 1.593 OPS.
Joe Gibbon
is 0-4,
10.13 ERA in his last 4 starts.
|
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Cleon Jones
won
back-to-back Rookie of the Month awards, hitting .319 in May
after a torrid .411 in April.
Bob Skinner
is hitting .125
(4-32) in his last 29 games.
|
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The Griffs lost 10
of their last 11 games. The starting pitching hit the fan
in May:
Sandy Koufax
(6.65 in 8 starts),
Bill
Hands
(5.94 in 8 starts), and
Pedro Ramos
(5.43 in 8 starts). Koufax is 0-4, 10.07 in his last 4
starts.
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L E A D E R B O
A R D S |
|
BATTING
AVERAGE |
HOME RUNS |
RBI |
VORP |
RUNS
/ GAME |
|
Cleon Jones, WAS |
.364 |
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Rod Carew, DAL |
.363 |
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Harvey Kuenn, CLE |
.362 |
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Lou Brock, SF |
.357 |
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*Norm Siebern, ATL |
.351 |
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Joe Torre, MAN |
.328 |
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*Bernie Allen, CLE |
.327 |
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RobertoClemente, CHI |
.325 |
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Pete Ward, MAN |
.318 |
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*Frank Howard, DET |
.314 |
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Boog Powell, DAL |
17 |
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Reggie Smith, STL |
17 |
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Frank Robinson, LA |
16 |
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Orlando Cepeda, BOS |
15 |
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Don Demeter, LA |
14 |
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Felix Mantilla, LA |
14 |
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Roger Maris, ATL |
14 |
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*Harm Killebrew, ATL |
13 |
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*Johnny Romano, STL |
12 |
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Dick Allen, DET |
11 |
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*Frank Howard, DET |
11 |
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Don Demeter, LA |
51 |
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Johnny Romano, STL |
50 |
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Reggie Smith, STL |
47 |
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Harm Killebrew, ATL |
45 |
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Felix Mantilla, LA |
42 |
|
Roger Maris, ATL |
42 |
|
Orlando Cepeda, BOS |
39 |
|
*Norm Cash, CHI |
38 |
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*Jim Fregosi, STL |
38 |
|
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Lou Brock, SF |
31.7 |
|
Harvey Kuenn, CLE |
29.0 |
|
Felix Mantilla, LA |
28.3 |
|
*Reggie Smith, STL |
27.3 |
|
*Bernie Allen, CLE |
26.0 |
|
Dick McAuliffe, BRO |
25.0 |
|
Frank Robinson, LA |
25.0 |
|
*Johnny Romano, STL |
24.3 |
|
Cleon Jones, WAS |
24.3 |
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Jim Fregosi, STL |
23.7 |
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ST. LOUIS |
6.1  |
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LOS ANGELES |
5.4 |
|
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ATLANTA |
5.0 |
|
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MANHATTAN |
4.7 |
|
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CLEVELAND |
4.7 |
 |
BOSTON |
4.6 |
|
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CHICAGO |
4.5 |
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DALLAS |
4.4 |
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BROOKLYN |
4.4 |
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DETROIT |
4.3 |
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WASHINGTON |
4.3 |
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SAN FRANCISCO |
4.0
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EARNED
RUN AVERAGE |
WINS |
STRIKEOUTS |
VORP |
RUNS
ALLOWED / GAME |
|
Johnny Podres, CLE |
1.54 |
|
Bob Moose, SF |
1.93 |
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*Joe Niekro, STL |
2.58 |
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Gene Conley, BRO |
2.58 |
|
Fritz Peterson, LA |
2.63 |
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Mike Cuellar, BOS |
2.64 |
|
Gene Brabender, BOS |
2.76 |
|
Herb Score, CHI |
2.86 |
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*Jim Merritt, DAL |
3.19 |
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*Lew Burdette, STL |
3.20 |
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Fritz Peterson, LA |
10 |
|
Lew Burdette, STL |
9 |
|
Jim McGlothlin, LA |
9 |
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Johnny Podres, CLE |
8 |
|
Nolan Ryan, STL |
8 |
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Johnny Antonelli,
LA |
7 |
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Steve Barber, ATL |
7 |
|
Tom Seaver, MAN |
7 |
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Nolan Ryan, STL |
99 |
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Johnny Podres, CLE |
83 |
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Johnny Antonelli, LA |
78 |
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Bob Moose, SF |
75 |
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Pedro Ramos, DET |
75 |
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Sammy Ellis, BRO |
72 |
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*Gene Conley, BRO |
71 |
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Johnny Kucks, BRO |
71 |
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Jim Palmer, ATL |
68 |
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*Luis Tiant, SF |
68 |
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Johnny Podres, CLE |
43.3 |
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Bob Moose, SF |
37.6 |
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Fritz Peterson, LA |
29.5 |
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Mike Cuellar, BOS |
25.9 |
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Lew Burdette, STL |
21.7 |
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*Gene Conley, BRO |
20.6 |
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Gene Brabender, BOS |
20.2 |
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*Bob Anderson, MAN |
19.0 |
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Jim Palmer, ATL |
18.6 |
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*Jim Merritt, DAL |
18.1 |
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CLEVELAND |
4.0 |
|
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SAN FRANCISCO |
4.1
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LOS ANGELES |
4.1
|
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ST. LOUIS |
4.5
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CHICAGO |
4.7
|
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BOSTON |
4.7 |
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ATLANTA |
4.7
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BROOKLYN |
4.8
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DALLAS |
4.9
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MANHATTAN |
5.0
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WASHINGTON |
5.2
|
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DETROIT |
5.6
|
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A W A R
D S & M I L E S T O N E S |
|
Batter of the Month |
Pitcher of the Month |
Rookie
of the Month |
Milestones |
|
APR
|
Felix Mantilla,
LA |
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MAY
|
Jim Fregosi, STL |
|
JUN
|
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JUL
|
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AUG
|
|
|
SEP |
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APR
|
Fritz Peterson,
LA |
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MAY
|
Nolan Ryan, STL |
|
JUN
|
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JUL
|
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AUG
|
|
|
SEP |
|
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APR
|
Cleon Jones, WAS |
|
MAY
|
Cleon Jones, WAS |
|
JUN
|
|
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JUL
|
|
|
AUG
|
|
|
SEP |
|
|
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Mickey Mantle, BRO
9,000
at-bats (May 29), #1 all time
Rocky Colavito, SF
300
home runs (May 21), #12 all time
Harmon Killebrew, ATL
300
home runs (May 31), #13 all time
|
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Player of the Week |
|
4/8
|
Boog Powell, DAL |
|
4/15
|
Chuck Hinton,
CLE |
|
4/22
|
Rod Carew, DAL |
|
4/29
|
Carl
Yastrzemski, DET |
|
5/6
|
Cleon Jones, WAS |
|
5/13 |
Joe Torre, MAN |
|
5/20 |
Dick Allen, DET |
|
5/27 |
Lou Brock SF |
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6/3 |
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6/10
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6/17
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6/24
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7/1
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7/8
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7/15
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7/22 |
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7/29 |
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8/5 |
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8/12
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8/19
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8/26
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9/2 |
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9/9 |
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9/16 |
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9/23 |
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